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HP Forum Archive 20

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Desperate For HP 17BII Help
Message #1 Posted by Michael Roback on 11 Aug 2011, 3:15 p.m.

I recently inherited a 17BII calculator that had been in storage without batteries installed for a long time. I cannot power it on with the on button. However when I depress the on button with a function key it powers on. Also, I can do the self test and it comes back with the calculator being okay. While powered on, I can scroll through the functions but when I go to enter data, the numbers do not always register. I have put batteries in backwards to clear and reset with no success. Also I am unable to turn the calculator off by pressing the shift and off key. I have to take batteries out to turn the calculator off. I of course have installed brand new batteries. Any help or ideas? Is the calculator toast. Should I throw it away. It is probably more expensive to repair than it it worth. Can it be disassembled and the contacts cleaned?? Not sure how to do that. I am stuck. Please help if you can. Thank you! I appreciate any help :).

      
Re: Desperate For HP 17BII Help
Message #2 Posted by gene wright on 11 Aug 2011, 5:49 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael Roback

A used 17BII costs between $30 and $50 on the auction site e b a y.

Consider that vs. your time/effort to try to repair the unit, which may not work in any case.

That's how I would approach the decision. I would lean toward finding another unit, but that's just me.

            
Re: Desperate For HP 17BII Help
Message #3 Posted by BruceH on 11 Aug 2011, 6:25 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by gene wright

Don't bother with all the risks of buying a second-hand old model on TAS when the current 17bII+ is a very nice machine indeed. Buy new.

                  
Re: Desperate For HP 17BII Help
Message #4 Posted by Jose Gonzalez Divasson on 12 Aug 2011, 3:08 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by BruceH

Both machines are excellent and worth their prices in their own way. The original with its excellent key feel, better pocketability (for your jacket pocket: it's thinner, and the case is thinner as well); the new with its far superior LCD screen, different but equally excellent key feel and the additional currency menu (I doubt that anyone would fill the additional 24 kb of memory - in fact I doubt that anyone used up the 8 kb of the original)

A deeper comparison can be found Here

      
Re: Desperate For HP 17BII Help
Message #5 Posted by Paul Gaster on 12 Aug 2011, 3:54 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael Roback

You could send it to Randy at http://www.fixthatcalc.com/ I checked his list and it is $49 to get fixed, plus you pay for shipping to get it to him. He does good work. I have sent him 2 calculators to fix and he did a great job.


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